Jones, Sessions spar over renaming of military bases

Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions sparred Saturday over renaming Army bases that are named after Confederate military officers. 

Sessions, who represented Alabama in the Senate for 20 years before becoming attorney general, first attacked Jones over his vote on the Senate Armed Services Committee to add an amendment to a defense spending bill supporting the renaming of the bases. 

“.@DougJones vote to remove from all military facilities and installations the names of every soldier who fought for the Confederacy betrays the character and decency of every soldier who fought for the South in that bloody and monumental war,” Sessions, who is running for the chance to challenge Jones in the Alabama Senate race this year, tweeted.

“Make no mistake, this is not a little matter. It reveals a profound deficit in his understanding of what it means to be AL’s Senator. Doug Jones’ vote seeks to erase AL’s & America’s history and thousands of Alabamians for doing what they considered to be their duty at the time.”

Make no mistake, this is not a little matter. It reveals a profound deficit in his understanding of what it means to be AL’s Senator. Doug Jones’ vote seeks to erase AL’s & America’s history and thousands of Alabamians for doing what they considered to be their duty at the time.

— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 12, 2020

“Delete your account Jeff.  This came out of a Republican controlled Senate committee on a strong bi-partisan vote.  I know it’s tough for you to be on the right side of history when it comes to the Confederacy, but you should give it a try,” Jones fired back.

Delete your account Jeff. This came out of a Republican controlled Senate committee on a strong bi-partisan vote. I know it’s tough for you to be on the right side of history when it comes to the Confederacy, but you should give it a try. https://t.co/Nuhl5LW9dx

— Doug Jones (@DougJones) June 13, 2020

Sessions cited Jones’s response as evidence that he would “never back down to the woke mob” if he was elected senator.

If you and the radical left had your way, the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument would be razed to the ground.

I will never back down to the woke mob—be it Republican or Democrat.

This insane attempt to erase American history has to end. https://t.co/gA0H796L62

— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 13, 2020

Jones emphasized that the vote on the armed services panel was bipartisan and dealt only with Confederate figures, not Thomas Jefferson and George Washington like Sessions had suggested.

Ok Jeff, let’s try this one more time: the vote was a bi-partisan vote of the Republican controlled Senate Armed Services Committee and dealt only with the Confederacy and the U.S. Military. https://t.co/XThvOe7De7

— Doug Jones (@DougJones) June 13, 2020

“Doug, you are a radical leftist, a pawn for Chuck Schumer. You voted to impeach President Trump, reject Justice Kavanaugh, voted against an end to late-term abortions, and now you join with the woke mob to erase history. YOU are history,” Sessions tweeted back.

Doug, you are a radical leftist, a pawn for Chuck Schumer. You voted to impeach President Trump, reject Justice Kavanaugh, voted against an end to late-term abortions, and now you join with the woke mob to erase history.

YOU are history. https://t.co/wtS63iSfGY

— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 13, 2020

Sessions has a long history of taking controversial stands on racial issues, with critics calling his past rhetoric racist.

The former attorney general is currently running against former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville in the Senate GOP runoff for the chance to face off against Jones.

Tuberville did not weigh in on the controversy.

Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill have called for the bases to be renamed amid a wave of protests and civic unrest over police brutality and systemic racism spurred by the death of George Floyd. Defense officials have expressed a willingness to rename the bases as well. 

Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in police custody on Memorial Day after a former officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes. 

The debate has set up a clash between the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, with President Trump pushing back on the effort.

“These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom,” Trump tweeted. “Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.”

There are 10 military bases across the country that are named after Confederate officials, including one, Fort Rucker, which is located in Alabama.